Thought Leadership
Intel wants to regain lost ground in the PC market with a new generation of chips. The processor system, called Core Ultra 200V, is more powerful and efficient than chips from rivals Qualcomm and AMD, the company emphasized at the IFA technology trade fair in Berlin.
Intel is also relying on the fact that the processors should automatically be compatible with all software for Windows PCs, as they are based on the built-in X86 architecture.
The first consumer PCs with the new chip, which was previously known primarily under the code name Lunar Lake, will go on sale on September 24 and are now available for pre-order. Computers for companies are set to follow at the beginning of next year.
Semiconductor pioneer under pressure
Intel has recently come under increasing pressure in the PC business. Apple first switched from Intel processors for its Macs to chip systems developed in-house, which are based on the architecture of the British semiconductor designer Arm. The Macbooks then got significantly longer battery life and became faster. Apple now also benefits from the fact that all devices run on the same chip architecture.
And when Microsoft launched a new computer category called Copilot+PC this summer, which is particularly geared towards AI applications, the devices initially only used chips from Intel competitor Qualcomm. Lunar Lake was not yet ready. Qualcomm also relies on Arm architectures and has long wanted to take Intel’s place in Windows computers.
Compatibility as a selling point
The former semiconductor pioneer is now launching a counterattack. Intel not only pointed out that Lunar Lake chips offer better performance in gaming than the competition from Qualcomm. In a side blow, it also said that 23 PC games did not even work with Qualcomm chips. Given the different architecture, Windows software for Arm computers must either be rewritten or run with the help of transfer software.
At the same time, new AI functions from Copilot+PC will only become available to buyers of the new computers with Intel chips in November through updates to the Windows operating system.
Lunar Lake could become a key product for the future of Intel. The company recently had to launch a cost-cutting program with around 15,000 job losses. According to a media report, even more drastic steps such as the abandonment of factory projects are also being considered. Among other things, Intel wants to build a plant in Magdeburg costing around 30 billion euros.
dpa
